Guilty Pleasures
by Mistress-Neko
Summary: Himura Kenshin has worked the streets since his was fifteen. After attempting to rob a dojo, he gets caught and offered a place to stay for the night. Next morning he decides to better his life. First step, getting a job at the strip club, Guilty Pleas
1. Prologue Guilty Pleasures

**Disclaimer** (Is this really necessary?) I don't own Ruroken, I just borrowKenshin-kun on weekends.

**Prologue – On the Streets**

The pair of teenage-looking boys ran down the alley, leaving two unconscious men in their wake. They had just barely escaped from them with their payment and their lives.

As young male prostitutes, it wasn't uncommon for them to be attacked by clients that couldn't stand what they were, and tonight was worse than most.

Neither of them wore more than a faded and ragged pair of jeans with fishnet shirts. They were both small and skinny, appearing at no more than eighteen years of age. The slightly taller one, no more than five-foot-six had long crimson hair tied back in a high tail with locks framing his face. Pale lavender eyes were lined thickly with eyeliner to make them stand out more starkly against skin that never saw the light. He was effeminate looking, with the long hair only adding to the illusion the most of the clients looked for. He appeared to have once been somewhat muscular and better defined, but years on the streets had changed that. The other was two inches shorter, with shorter hair that was a plain brown, but fell in his silver eyes and a face that was constantly smiling. He had a similar appearance to that of his companion, once well-fed, but now starved with nowhere else to go.

"I think we should be leaving them here, Himura-kun. The police will find them, but we won't get turned in – they won't want to admit that they were after young boys for sex, will they? Won't want to admit they are freaks." The shorter one whispered as they got back on the streets. "We also have to find a place to get more cash; we didn't get enough to pay the rent."

The red-head sighed. "Alright, Soujiro-san." His voice was soft as they headed down the street, looking at each of the straggling cars and hoping for another client to add to their nightly income. "You know that this one does not like stealing, but it's the only way."

The pair of them began walking down the streets, throwing secretive smiles at the coming cars. As they left the run down neighborhood that they 'worked' in, Soujiro noticed a large, ancient styled building. Brows creasing, he grabbed the fishnet sleeve his companion's shirt.

"Himura-kun, it's a dojo, and it looks ancient." He smiled as he pointed to the sign that read "Kamiya Dojo – Kamiya-Kasshin-Ryu." "It must have a good income if it's been around for as long as I think it has, and there's probably some food inside. We haven't had anything to eat."

Kenshin looked up at the doors, curiosity lighting in his pale eyes. "Soujiro-san, I don't think that we'd be able to pull it off. There are swordsmen in there, and we aren't exactly armed, that we are not."

Soujiro looked at him. "Himura-kun, it's the closest place to our apartment, and you're the only one who's quiet enough to get in there and get any money or valuables."

He sighed and began to walk up to the gates. He turned to see Soujiro already walking down the street to an apartment complex. "I'll meet you back at the apartment later on tonight."

Soujiro only waved with his usual smile before continuing his way.

§

Kenshin climbed quickly over the stone wall that surrounded the ancient dojo, landing in a neat crouch in the shrubbery that lined the inside of the practice fields. He allowed his black-lined eyes too look around the place, searching for some place to get into the home.

The place was indeed old or, at least, made to look like a traditional Japanese dojo and not at all Western. The shoji doors had newly replaced screens and one or two holes in them. The roofs were all clay tile, the supports made of a solid wood. The place came complete with an ancient bathing room.

Shaking his head, the boy made his way to the house, making very little noise as he opened the screen door. As he wandered into the room, he realized that he was in the kitchen. For such an old home, the kitchen was very modern. There was a refrigerator in one corner and a microwave in another, while the stove was situated next to counters on the opposite side of the room.

Taking a quick look around to make sure that no one else was there, Kenshin moved over to the refrigerator, opening it and looking inside to see if there was anything that he could eat. Quickly, he saw a white box – likely leftovers of some kind. He took the container out of the cool air and picked up a pair of chopsticks from the table. Ravished with hunger, the street worker quickly began eating the leftover food, thinking of nothing more than eating for the first time in almost a week.

§

In the room next to the kitchen, Kamiya Kaoru sleepily awoke from the pleasant dream she was having. Soft noises from the kitchen made her smile – her father usually woke up in the middle of the night and ate something.

Then she remembered that her father had died six months ago.

Instantly awake, she picked up the shinai next to her and silently slid the door open. Picking her way quietly down the hall, she peeked into her kitchen. Her eyes widened when she realized that she didn't recognize the person who was in her kitchen.

He was small, maybe a few inches taller than she was, with long crimson hair tied in a high ponytail that looked in desperate need of a washing that fell to the backs of his thighs. He wore a pair of faded jeans that hung low on his slender hips, displaying the ring through his belly-button. The fishnet shirt extended over his slender hands but showed the thick leather collar around his neck. Pale lavender eyes were lined with kohl to make them stand out more against a pale, sickly face and disguise a bruise around his left eye. There were cuts and bruises all over his slender body that made her feel sympathy towards the man robbing her house.

With a soft snort, she walked into the room, shinai extended as she took an offensive stance.

"And just what do you think you're doing in my home?"

§

He jumped, startled, dropping the container of fried rice that he had been eating, looking at the source of the voice.

She was small, only a few inches shorter than he was and wearing a traditional sleeping robe. Her dark hair was nearly as long as his was, and she was holding a shinai like she knew how to use it. There was anger clearly written in her sapphire-blue eyes.

Kenshin held his arms out, eyes wide as he looked at the shinai. She saw genuine fear behind those eyes and the trembling of his limbs.

"I'm sorry, miss, I'm really, really sorry." He started walking towards the door, the only one of which was behind her. "This one was just, hungry, and, I'm sorry. Please, please, don't call the police! You can do whatever you want to me, just don't call the police, and let me go when you're done. Please?"

"Why were you eating out of the fridge?" She asked softly, lowering the shinai. His words ran through her head. _'You can do whatever you want to me, just don't tell the police and let me go when you're done.'_ "Why didn't you just take something of value and run?"

He stopped, watching her with wide eyes. A soft rumble answered her question and she watched his face go red. "I guess I was hungry." He lowered his head enough that his red bangs hid his face. "I can't remember the last time I ate."

She laughed softly and gestured to the container of fried rice that he had dropped. "I guess not. Please, finish eating. You can stay here for the night if you wish. I can even get a shower—"

"No!" He said, almost angrily. "I don't need that much of your pity! I simply asked you to let me go and leave you!"

She glared at him. "I am letting you, and its _so_ obvious that you can take care of yourself, but nonetheless, I'm offering to let you get cleaned up and get a decent night's sleep for the first time in what I'm going to assume is the longest time. Take it, or maybe I will call the police."

His eyes widened and he looked at her in resignation, but also curiosity. Never before had someone offered to let him stay the night unless they had just finished with him while they were at the person's home, and they didn't want to get caught with a young prostitute in their car. He nodded almost imperceptibly and bent to pick up the food off the floor.

"Thank you Miss…"

Kaoru smiled. "Kaoru."

He blushed and watched what he was doing with the food. "Thank you Kaoru-dono."

She turned and walked to the door. "I will get a sleep robe that you can use and set out a futon in the spare bedroom. Please finish eating then I'll show you where the shower is. And, by the way, can I ask you're name?"

He blushed again, picking up the dropped set of chopsticks. His voice was soft, almost inaudible. "Himura Kenshin."

She smiled at him before walking out of the room. "I'll go set out the futon. You can finish eating that, and then I'll show you to the bathroom."

He could only nod sheepishly as he leaned against the counter and began eating the fried rice.

§

With a soft sigh, he turned off the shower that was falling in hot water – something that was very, very rarely available in their cheap apartment – on his back. He was sure that he had probably taken too long in the shower, but it had been so long since he had taken a hot one that he just hadn't been able to turn off the water any time sooner.

His long hair fell in a thick fall of crimson down his back as he wrung it out and stepped out of the shower with a towel around his waist. When he looked around the tiny bathroom, he realized that his clothes were missing. Immediately, panic began setting in, until the door opened and Kaoru stepped in with a sleeping robe in her hands.

She smiled slightly at his distress. She noticed that there was a tattoo low on the inside of his left hip – the Chinese character for 'destiny' done in black and red. And also, at the base of his neck, just under his hair line, there was another done in the same colors that was yet another Chinese character meaning 'courage.' She realized that without the eyeliner, he looked older, and it made her at another year onto his age – nineteen, maybe?

"I took your clothes, by the way." She held the robe out to him. "They're in the wash. I thought that it would be a good idea to wash them, since you did have blood on the jeans."

"Oh, thank you, Kaoru-dono." He gingerly took the robes from her, a slight blush running across his face.

Never before had someone offered to wash his clothing – unless they wanted to get rid of all evidence of who they were for fear of being reported to the police. And that was a rare occurrence, since it was highly unlikely that either he or Soujiro would go to the police – who would believe that a street whore was raped? It wasn't uncommon for a client to be too rough, or take you too forcefully; it just wasn't common for it to be reported. It also wasn't uncommon for a client to ignore the 'safe word.'

"You're welcome." She smiled again and pointed down the hallway. "The room that you can stay in is the one next to the bathroom. The futon is already set up. You can also stay in the morning for breakfast if you want."

He bowed slightly at the last comment. "Thank you again, Kaoru-dono."

"It's no problem." She smiled as she walked down the hall to her room. "I just think that it's probably better than turning you over to the police, and you get a couple of meals out of it."

He smiled slightly and watched her go into her room, gingerly placing the robe over the bruises and cuts from that one client earlier that night. After turning off the light, he walked into the room she had given him, sliding between the blankets and settling his head on the pillow.

He was asleep in moments.

§

The next morning Kaoru woke up later than she usually did, and walked out into the kitchen to start preparing breakfast. She hoped that Kenshin would be staying for breakfast, since he looked as if he needed something to fill him up – he looked to thin.

What she found in the kitchen surprised her.

On the table there was a simple breakfast already laid out on the table. There was rice, miso soup, tofu, and a small amount a fish. There was a set of dishes already in the sink, as if he had also eaten something before leaving. There was even a note next to her chopsticks.

_Kaoru-dono_

_Thank you for letting me stay the night. Never has anyone been so kind to me, not since I was really small. I made breakfast for you. It's been a really long time since I've cooked anything, so I hope that it tastes alright._

_Thank you_

_Himura Kenshin_

Kaoru read the letter over a few times before setting it back down on the table. She sat there, eating the simple meal and wondering about where Kenshin went. He couldn't have been much older than she was, and she wondered what had happened to him that he had never experienced any sort of kindness.

With a soft sigh, she placed the letter away in her room. Maybe some day she would find out.

§

"Where have you been Himura-kun!" Soujiro said softly, watching as Kenshin flew into the house and to the dresser on the other side of the small apartment. "I waited for you all night and you never came home! It's seven in the morning; I thought that you had been apprehended by the police!"

"I'm sorry, Soujiro-san." He smiled slightly as he continued to dig through the dresser. "Have you seen that card that Kamatari-san gave me that one night? I was thinking of giving him a call back. He said that he might have a job for me at his club."

Soujiro's eyes widened and the ever-present smile was wiped off his face. "You want to get off the streets Himura-kun?" He sounded almost furious. "You want to work there?"

Kenshin's face was sad and a little hopeful as he found the small white business card. "I don't want to be on the streets forever Soujiro-san. I would actually like to make a better life for myself. I don't always want to have to do things like this."

Soujiro's face and voice turned hard. "And you think that you can do that by stripping your clothes off in front of women?"

Kenshin turned from the door to look at him. "At least by doing that I can make a consistent income and be able to afford to feed myself." His hand touched the door knob. "Last night, the woman who owned the dojo let me stay the night and eat something out of pity. I don't want to have to live off of the pity of other people – I don't want to be used anymore! There's a chance to make my life better, and I want to take it!"

With that, he left to go to the pay phone, looking at the card to see the name of the club.

_Guilty Pleasures_

**A/N  
**Hello there. To start off, I have ablsolutely no idea where this plot bunny came from -- it just came to me and before I knew it, all the chapters were outlined. I will be updating as soon as possible, but with a full-time summer job, I'm not sure how much time I'll have. Anyway, please review, anything helpful will be welcomed.  
_--Mistress-Neko_


	2. Chapter One New and Familiar Faces

**Chapter One – New and Familiar Faces**

Himura Kenshin looked in the mirror, staring at his appearance and double checking that his clothing was fashioned the way that it was supposed to. It had been nearly a month since he had gotten a job at the strip club, and he was thankful for it.

When he had received his first paycheck, he had founda steady income and was shocked tosee that he made more money than most college graduates at the rate thathis bosspaid. It was actually the owner's wife who ran things in this particular club, and she ran things cleanly and smoothly. The owner was Hajime Saito and the manager was his wife, Tokio. Most of the bouncers were effeminate looking, or cross-dressers, like Kamatari, making it easier for them to blend in with the crowd. Only women were allowed to come in and watch the shows – since most of the men were uncomfortable being watched by men – and all the dancers had stage names to keep things from happening outside the club. She didn't pimp any of them out, and forbid them to sell themselves for money. She allowed lap dances, but there was no allowed intercourse.

The other guys who worked here were one hell of a crazy bunch, but he enjoyed working with them.

First, there was Sagara Sanosuke, call me Sano. He had been working here for a few years and was twenty-four years old. He had dark spiky hair and grinning dark eyes. He had a slender, yet muscular build, and was very tall. He was a great friend, even if he did enjoy his sake a little too much sometimes – but he always made sure that his daughter Ayamewasn't around whenever he was drinking – she was only six years old and attended a local elementary school. Until he found a place of his own, Kenshin was staying with him and his daughter. The girl's mother had left when she was only a few weeks old, forcing Sano to find a better job than the one he had as the Fight Merchant 'Zanza' – that was how he had found this place. There were some nights when he couldn't find a babysitter, however, and on those nights Tokio hadher daughter, Tsubame, run over andbabysit.

He was particularly fond of doing lap dances in the back – an option that was offered with certain rules attached – and seeing the reactions of the women that he did it on.

Then, there was Shinomori Aoshi. This man was the last person that anyone would expect to be stripping in a night club. He was tall, slender, with longish dark hair that always fell into his slim, emerald green eyes in a way that made them stand out more in a pale face. Most of his acts included some kind of weapon. Women who attended the club seemed to enjoy his acts the best, and though many tried to get a lap dance, he refused nearly all of them. He was quiet most of the time, but spoke whenever he felt like his opinion was needed. Kenshin wished he knew how he had ended up in a place like this, but that was something that Aoshi flat-out refused to talk about, spending most of his free time meditating in one of the many Shinto temples of Tokyo.

There were a few others, of course, but he hadn't really gotten to know them as well as the two who had their stations on either side of his. Leaning over to look into the mirror more intently, he carefully put the eyeliner around his eyes – Tokio's suggestion – to make them stand out more against skin that was still pale, but no longer sickly-looking. A fake, but well-done, cross-shaped scar had already been applied to his left cheek by Tokio herself, since she seemed to be the only one able to know what the person he was imitating looked like from the artwork of the Meiji Era.

"Himura-san, Sano-san is almost done with his set, so you have a few more minutes until you're on stage."

Kenshin smiled at the soft voice and turned to look at Tokio's daughter, Tsubame, who was standing in the door with a clipboard and wearing a traditional kimono made of a pale pink fabric with darker pink sakura blossoms across the lower hem and sleeves with a violet obi and her dark hair barely reaching her shoulders. Her mother allowed her to run things backstage when she wasn't watching Ayame – not allowing her to watch the dancers until she was at least sixteen – and she was the one who informed the men when they were due on stage.

"Thank you Tsubame-dono." He smiled as he put the eyeliner down on the dresser. "I'll be out in a moment, no more than that."

She smiled back as she watched him put the katana and wakizashi on the left side of his waist. "Alright, Haha-ue will be announcing you tonight, and she says that there's a group of girls in the front that are there for a birthday, and she wants you to direct your act more towards them."

"Alright then, Tsubame-dono, please tell Tokio-dono that I'll be out in a moment."

§

Kamiya Kaoru sighed as they sat down at the table closest to the stage. The name of the club had given her chills with its name. "Guilty Pleasures" just didn't sound like the name of a nice place to eat and watch a _decent_ show.

And seeing that tall man on the floor, giving a lap dance to a woman – wearing nothing but acrimson-coloredg-string – only did further to confirm that.

"And just what kind of club did you say this was?" She looked at her friend as the drinks were brought around to the table by a waiter wearing no shirt and tight leather pants that left precious little to the imagination – especially with the line strips of flesh on the sides of the pant-legs. "I thought that we were coming here to just watch a show."

Tae giggled into her hand. "It's a strip club Kaoru-chan." She looked at Misao's surprised face – this party was celebrating her eighteenth birthday – and Megumi's ultimately pleased one – the woman had been watching the man giving the lap dance as he walked back stage. "And besides, their newest dancer is performing tonight. You'll like him Kaoru-chan, I know it."

Kaoru sighed and took a sip of the Coke that she had ordered, wishing she was only a few months older so that she could put some rum in it - Tae could be incredibly frustrating sometimes. While she was watching, a woman in her mid-thirties walked to the edge of the stage with a microphone in her hand. She wore a traditional kimono of a rich, dark red the a design of a soaring phoenix in shades of dark blue with a gold obi. She smiled at the crowd before speaking in a soft voice.

"That's our Rooster!" She laughed, eying the woman who had received the lap dance. "And now, here's our newest dancer! He's only been with us for a few weeks, but he's become quite the celebrity amongst the lovers of Tsukioka Tsunan's artwork. And let's welcome to the stage, our very own, Hitokiri Battousai!"

The lights to the stage turned on to reveal a person wearing a midnight-colored gi and black hikama pants tucked into those nearly-knee-high socks that hitokiri were fond of using. On his hands and forearms, he wore traditional guards, and carried a katana and wakizashiat his waist. His very long, crimson hair – a spill of blood across the dark color of his outfit – was tied in the high-tail with long bangs framing a pale face complete with cross-shaped scar. Violet eyes rimmed with moltenamber were lined with black, striking against paleskin. Kaoru was shocked that she hadn't noticed that band of color. A white wrap was visible beneath his garments.

Kaoru's jaw dropped – she knew him!

It was Kenshin!

She justknew it!

Kaoru moved forward in her seat, watching him with curiosity lighting her blue eyes. When she had met him that night he had tried to rob her house, she had assumed that he had been a street whore, but now, this likely confirmed it – and he had tried to better his life by doing this.

She watched him intently, intrigued by his fluid movements to the beat of the music.

_I close my eyes  
__Close the door  
__I won't worry anymore  
__I've been waiting for you  
__Everyday and every night  
__Cut the light  
__Let it fade  
__I don't wanna be afraid  
__I've been waiting for you_

He had drawn the sword at his belt, a gleaming, silver thing – a katana that she judged to be one-hundred percent the real thing. He moved fluidly to the fast-beat music, his body moving in an elegant kata. His movements were sensual as well, showing off his slender, but strong musculature with the gaping of the fabric of his gi and the tightness of his wrap.

_Tonight is right  
__Stars shine bright  
__I just really wanna be with you  
__I celebrate pray for the day  
__When all my wishes will be coming true_

Moments passed at the music slowed. She watched in amazement as he sheathed the katana and threw both of the weapons to a violet-haired, flat-chested woman in the crowd – all in a single movement of his wrists. The woman grinned and winked coyly at him. The beat quickened.

_My heart beats like a drum like a drum  
__Dum dum dum – dum dum dum  
__And my feet step the beat like a drum  
__Dum dum dum – dum dum dum_

_My heart beats like a drum like a drum  
__Dum dum dum – dum dum dum  
__And my feet step the beat like a drum  
__Dum dum dum – dum dum dum_

With a small, seductive smile, he moved one of his arms in a way that normal human arms shouldn't be moved, and the left arm of his gi fell to his side. He repeated the movement with his right and spun around to reveal the tattoo at the tip of his spine – the one reading 'truth.'

His slender hips swayed to the beat, moved side to side as he strutted across the stage loosening his hikama and letting the gi fall to the ground, movements swaying and hypnotic. With swift movements, he began unwrapping the bandages around his slender torso, rolling them into a neat bundle. Kaoru felt her cheeks burning.

_I think of you everyday  
__I've been waiting for a call  
__Just the sound of your voice  
__Anytime and anyway  
__Dream of you since that day  
__When I saw you the first time  
__At the hard rock café_

Throwing the roll of wrap behind him, he fell to his knees, starting to crawl across the stage. As he did so, the sandals and socks fell from his lower legs, exposing sinewy, yet muscular calves. As he moved, the long locks of blood-colored hair fell around him, framing his face as he moved with a fluidity that normal humans couldn't manage. His eyes looked directly at their table as he mouthed the next verse.

_Tonight it is right  
__Stars shine bright  
__I just really wanna be with you  
__I celebrate pray for the day  
__When all my wishes will be coming true_

Reaching the front of the stage, he again moved to kneel, knees spread apart, torso a moved backwards.

He knelt directly in front of her table.

With a mischievous smile he slowly untied the hikama pants before removing them and throwing them to a man – wearing lipstick with long hair – who was dressed as a body guard. Women across the room hooted as he stood in the middle of the stage…

…Wearing nothing but a flesh colored g-string that left that 'destiny' tattoo in the hollowof his hip_very_ visible.

Not to mention, leaving precious little to the imagination.

_My heart beats like a drum like a drum  
__Dum dum dum - dum dum dum  
__And my feet step the beat like a drum  
__Dum dum dum - dum dum dum_

_My heart beats like a drum like a drum  
__Dum dum dum - dum dum dum  
__And my feet step the beat like a drum  
__Dum dum dum - dum dum dum_

He moved.

He strutted.

He danced.

And always moving seductively to the lively music beat, long locks of his crimson hair swirling like a bloody wet dreamaround his slender, pale body.

Kaoru found herself short of breath as she watched him move across the stage, money coming from all directions.

The katana was thrown back at him and he continued moving, once again forming that beautiful kata, this time more accentuated than before. Muscles moved beneath sheen of sweat on his skin.

He threw the katana back and fell to his knees.

_I close my eyes  
__Close the door  
__I won't worry anymore  
__I've been waiting for you_

He crawled across the stage, head lowering to the ground while his hair pooled along the stage. Reaching the edge of the stage, he flung all those crimson locks in a arch, causing it to fall across his back and shoulders, long enough to hide the g-string from view and give the illusion of total nudity.

The women screamed and more money hit the stage.

_And my feet steps the beat baby..._

More screams echoed in the building as his body moved in this strange wiggle, looking as if he was trying to press into the floor. Women were reaching up and trying to touch him.

And he let them, if only briefly.

_My heart beats like a drum like a drum  
__Dum dum dum - dum dum dum  
__And my feet step the beat like a drum  
__Dum dum dum - dum dum dum_

_My heart beats like a drum like a drum  
__Dum dum dum - dum dum dum  
__And my feet step the beat like a drum  
__Dum dum dum - dum dum dum_

After turning over, he ended the set with his head hanging off the stage and practically in her lap, a strange and seductive smile on his lips. The women were screaming. Getting a funny little idea she smiled and leaned forward to look into his face.

"Hello Kenshin."

His gold-ringed eyes widened as he recognized her, shock lighting behind their depths.

"K-Kaoru-dono?"

§

Kenshinheard a knock on the door as he washed the make-up off his face. He had finished his set and Tokio had said that he could go home. Aoshi had one of the last acts that night, and then there was someone else after that. He had another set tomorrow, but it would be different from this one.

"You can come in."

He had already gotten dressed in street clothes – the outfit carefully placed in the costume wardrobe. He wore new jeans that were black with red Chinese characters, and a blood-red muscle-tank. He had loosened his hair from the high ponytail and let it fall down around his shoulders to the backs of his thighs nearly to his knees.

Kamatari walked in the door with a smile on his face. He carried the two swords in his hands, having been in the crowd to catch them, so that they wouldn't be carried off by one of the customers. His chin-length violet hair and feminine facial features, not to mention his high-pitched voice made him an easy person to put in the crowd as a bouncer.

"Hey cute one," his smiled widened as he used the nickname he had for him --he had one for all the dancers at the club. "A little lady named Kaoru wanted to know if you would meet her when you were done. Says she wants to talk about something that happened a month ago."

Kenshin'seyes widened in surprise as he picked up his leather jacket off the back of his chair. He then smiled. "Thank you, Kamatari-san. Can you have her meet me at the performers' exit?"

He smiled again as he took the swords and started putting them away, making a mock salute with his hands. "Will do cute one, and have a good night. I'll see ya tomorrow!"

"Goodnight Kamatari-san." He threw his jacket over his shoulder and started walking to the back door, hoping for some autumn night air to cool him off.

It would be interesting to actually sit down and talk to the woman who had changed his life.

§

Kaoru leaned against the wall, just outside of the door that the bouncer had told her to wait at. She had already put on her jacket, and was hoping that he would come out soon – she was freezing.

She didn't know what had possessed her into asking him to meet with her. Her friends were still inside – Megumi had paid that 'Rooster' person for a private lap dance and Misao had been really into the stripper that had started performing after Kenshin was done. He had been using a pair of kodachis and dressed as a ninja. She could see why the barely legal college student would enjoy it – Misao was really into everything remotely 'ninja' and if there was a hot stripper in there that dressed and acted like one, she would stay. Tae was there because she enjoyed watching all the dancers. Really not wanting to stick around, Kaoru had left, and had been possessed to talk to the man that had broken into her house nearly a month ago.

"Hello there, Kaoru-dono." She turned at the soft voice. Kenshin was standing in the doorway with a wide smile on his face. He wore a crimson shirt and a studded leather jacket that made his unbound hair seem like a spill of blood against the dark color. The characters down his left leg were Chinese, but she didn't know what they meant. "It seems like a long time."

Kaoru smiled. "Well, Kenshin-san, it has. I was wondering if you would like to go with me to grab a bite to eat."

Kenshin frowned. "But, what about your friends? Don't you want to stay here with them? I'm sure that they would be worried about you if you left without a word."

She laughed, getting off the wall and unconsciously smoothing her short black skirt. "They already know. I'm not exactly comfortable being in there, and they're enjoying it more than I am, and besides, I'm hungry, and they're not."

The stripper chuckled lightly. "Well, I just hope you at least enjoyed mine. From where I was, it seemed like it, but I guess you didn't?" He made it a question.

She blushed deeply, averting her eyes. Kenshin laughed. "I guess you did. Alright then, as long as you let me pay for the food, Kaoru-dono – I owe you that I do."

Kaoru smiled. "That's fine with me Kenshin-san. And, I know of a place that we can go that has great food. Let's go to the Akabeko!"

Kenshin smiled as he followed her to her car.

**To be continued. . . . . .**

**A/N  
**Thank you every one that reviewed! Pocky for everyone! I'm just amazed, nearly 200 hits... tear Well, I hope that you enjoyed this people! I just _had_ to get Hitokiri Battousai in there somewhere. And Sano, of course. The images running through my head, just IMAGINING all of that ... _wipes mouth, looks at new drool, wipes at it again._ **The song, BTW, is 'My Heart Beat Like A Drum," by ATC.** If you listen to it, you can see where I'm coming from. Oh, And for all those who menthioned it, yes, it is a Kenshin/Kaoru fic. PLEASE REVIEW! Anything that you people can give me is great and really encouraging. Thanx, and please review!  
**Poll: What kind of outfit should Kenshin strip out of next? And what song should I use?I don't have a lot.**  
_--Mistress-Neko_


	3. Chapter Two Past Revealed

**A/N** I'm sorry for those of you reading this, but someone pointed something out and I'm going to say this now, Kenshin's stripper character is LOOSELY based on a book character by Laurell K. Hamilton, but he DOES change later on in the story. And the title of the club is the same as the one in the books, but because of something that happens later on in the story. I'm sorry for all the Laurell K. Hamilton fans who saw Nathaniel within Kenshin, but Nathaniel is my FAVORITE LKH character and I really didn't mean for this to happen. heh I guess he's become a part of my subconscious mind. THANK YOU QUEEN MAB OF THE CELTS FOR POINTING IT OUT!  
**A/N2** WARNING! THERE ARE FLASHBACKS CONTAINING CHILD ABUSE AND MENTIONS OF RAPE!

**Chapter Two – Past revealed**

Kaoru smiled as they were seated at a private table at the restaurant that Tae owned. The reason that she had come here was so that she could enjoy the food without having to explain to her friend why she was eating with a professional stripper. The waitress --a young high school student --brought them water to sip at while they ordered their drinks. Kaoru ordered a Coke, and was surprised when Kenshin ordered a small bottle of sake.

"Are you old enough to do that?" She asked with a smile — he didn't look to be much older than she was, so she assumed he wasn't.

He held out his ID card for her to look at. The birth date read 13 June 1986. He was indeed twenty, but just barely a few months over it — it was earlyOctober. "Of course," a sadness and sense of bitterness filled those violet and amber-rimmed eyes, "now that I have a choice, I don't want to do anything illegal."

Kaoru looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry, Kenshin-san. You don't look any older than I do, and I'm only nineteen, so I just assumed that you weren't of age to drink sake."

Kenshin smiled faintly. "Well, I am, I guess I just look younger because I'm smaller than most other men.

She smiled as the waitress brought their drinks around, and took their orders. Kaoru suggested various dishes for Kenshin to try. "I guess so. You are only a few inches taller than I am."

He took a brief sip of the sake. "So, Miss Kaoru, do you own that dojo? I know that you must be able to wield a sword, because it looked like you knew how to use a shinai at least, that you did."

She smiled again. "Yes, I do. When my father was murdered a few months ago, it was left to me because I was the only child that he had. My mother died when I was young, and since I was his only child, he started teaching me the style of swordsmanship that has been passed down for nearly a century and a half — the Kamiya-Kasshin-Ryu. He just had enough time to teach me the final moves before robbers took his life. I was at Misao's house overnight because of a storm that night, so I didn't find out until the next morning.

"Ever since then, I've taken over teaching it. I finished high school a year ago and take lessons at Tokyo University at night, teaching lessons during the daytime – tonight was one of my few nights without classes. It's actually interesting, I'm not the first woman to take over and teach the style, the second successor to ever take it was another woman, also named Kaoru. My father said that he named me after her because he wanted me to be as strong as she was. I think it's actually kind of cool to be named after a legend.

"Well, the dojo makes more than enough money — I even have one live-in student. Kamiya-Kasshin-Ryu is a style that is based on Katsujin-ken, or, Swords that give Life, not Satsujin-ken, or, Swords that give Death." A wistful smile came across her face as she stirred the ice in her drink. "In fact, my father promoted it all his life, and followed those values strongly."

As she spoke, Kenshin listened intently, sipping at the rice wine that he had ordered. He had been curious about the dojo, since most from that dated back from the Meiji Era had failed and gone out of business, but, apparently, this one hadn't. He was amazed at some of the details that she spoke of.

As their food came, she went quiet. As the plates of various foods came, she noticed that Kenshin had ordered everything that she had suggested – which was a lot of food. "Are you sure that you want to pay for all of this?" She asked. "I can pay for at least a part of it. You don't have to treat me."

He smiled serenely. "Yes I do, Miss Kaoru. I owe you a lot for the kindness that you showed me that night. You could have taken advantage of me, but you didn't. You could've taken me to the police, but you didn't. Instead you gave me a place to sleep, a place to clean up, and something to eat." He paused to order another bottle of sake. "I _want_ to pay you back, so please, allow me to pay for this." He voice softened as he stirred his chopsticks through his rice. "Your gift of kindness changed my life, Miss Kaoru, that it did."

Kaoru was nearly speechless as she dug into the food and watched him order another slightly larger bottle of sake. They ate in an uncomfortable silence. She mulled his words over in her head. She waited until the waitress had taken the empty bowls and clean plates,bringing another glass of Coke and bottle of sake until she spoke.

"How exactly did I change your life?" Her question widened his eyes a little bit. "I didn't give you any money or anything, just a place to stay."

Kenshin bowed his head a little, long crimson bangs hiding his eyes before his soft voice — carefully void of emotions with a soft, barely audible slur — spoke. "That is a long story Miss Kaoru, that it is." He took a long drink from the bottle before speaking again. "I think that it would be a start to say that that name I received when I was born was not Himura Kenshin, it was Seijuro Shinta. My mother died shortly after I was born, leaving only my elder brother Hiko, my three elder sisters -- Sakura-san, Akane-san, and Kasumi-san --and my father. My father was abusive, mostly to me sincemy sisters were used for 'business'-- he used them as prostitutes-- except when Hiko was home. But my brother was always gone, off studying a form of ancient swordsmanship from the Sengoku Jedai, called Hiten Misturugi-Ryu, a style that pits one against many. He mastered it at a young age and started teaching it to me during the periods of time that he was home.

"Hiko was always the one that my father was angry at—Hiko had been trained in the swordstyle instead of him, since my grandfather had never trusted my father, knowing that he would never be able to pass the style on to the next generation and that he had a lot of mental problems. After he died, Hiko came to live with us, if only for a short while. Hiko would never scream when my father hit him, he would only remain impassive, watching me and making sure that I wasn't targeted."

_**Kenshin's Flashback**_

_The soft smell of musk and old funguses invaded his nostrils as the tiny, red-haired boy inhaled the scent of thelaz-e-boy he was hiding behind. Wide, tear-filled violet andamber-rimmedeyes watched the vision before him with horror and revulsion. Long, unkempt strands of crimson hair fell into the tiny face of the four-year-old._

_The soft light of the lightning from the storm outside illuminated the near-unconscious figure as he was beaten and whipped with the long leather belt and the sheathed katana. The fourteen-year-old was incredibly tall for his age, with broad shoulders and the start of a muscular physique. Long dark hair fanned out around him as the beating continued, the belt cracking on bruised, broken, bare flesh and the sheath making bones crack._

"_Scream for me you little bastard! Scream for me!" The older man's dark eyes were bulging out of his face as he continued._

_The little boy's golden-oranged-rimmed eyes widened further as the crimson warmth started to spread dangerously across the dirty tatami floors and started so soak into the rice paper that lined the shoji door._

"_Scream for me you fucking bastard! Unless you scream like your worthless mother did I won't stop! I'll fucking kill you! SCREAM!"_

_Afraid for his elder brother, the tiny boy stuck his fist in his mouth, tears pouring down his little face. Hiko would never cry out or give any sign of pain, and if he did it for him, father would only take his anger out on the four-year-old, something that Hiko had forbidden last time it had happened since he had almost died._

"_If you can't scream in pain," the man above the fourteen-year old whispered dangerously, "I'll find another way."_

_The small child watched in horror as his father began unbuttoning his pants, but his screams were muffled by the fist that he had stuck in his mouth so he couldn't cry out for the help that his brother needed._

_That was when his brother started screaming._

**_End Flashback_**

"Then, one night, father started beating me for no reason that I could find. I remember knowing that I was going to die, but Hiko fought him. I'd never seen him that angry since the time he forbid me to scream instead of him."

_**Flashback**_

_The small child cried out as the rough leather against bit into his back, followed closely by that metal pipe. It hurt._

_It hurt._

_It hurt._

_It hurt._

_Shinta screamed again, trying to be brave — just like Hiko, just like his big brother — but failing horribly. He could feel the blood rising in his throat and started choking on it, watching it go onto the tatami floors._

_Without warning, he couldn't feel anything but the pain — the beating had stopped. _

_At the cry above him, his small eyes widened._

_Hiko stood in front of their father, teeth gritted, long silver katana with a wooden handle with something written in an ancient kanji blocking that metal pipe. Muscles straining against the older man's strength, he turned to the small boy._

"_Shinta run, I can't hold him off much longer!" He started to sit up, but he remained frozen where he was—afraid for his brother's life and what would happen if their father survived this. Hiko turned to him again, anger and desperation evident on his young face and clouding his black, gold-rimmed eyes._

"_RUN SHINTA! DON'T LOOK BACK!"_

_Tears coursing down a pale face, the little boy ran, as fast and as far as he could with those injuries._

_He heard someone cry out behind him and he longed to look back, but he couldn't._

_If Hiko had told him to run and not look back, he would do just that._

_His desperate pace slowed as he approached the willow tree. Little Shinta collapsed at the base, surrounded by the soft leaves. He curled up around the pain through his body. He was cold, so cold. He hacked softly into his hand. Soft violet eyes rimmed with amber widened at the warmth on his small palm._

_He saw blood._

_The world started to fade around him and he didn't remember anything except thinking that he was going to die and he would never see his brother again._

_**End Flashback**_

Kaoru's eyes widened as she saw tears coming down Kenshin's face. "My father died that night — Hiko killed him. The police declared self-defense because he was defending me, and trying to defend himself from the abuse as well. After that, we were carted from foster family to foster family.I never saw my sisters again -- something about it being to hard tokeep us all together in the system.Sometime during those years among foster families, Hiko finished teaching me swordsmanship and ran off. I haven't seen him since he ran away that night — after he taught me the final move. From then on I was alone among those foster families."

Another bottle of sake was brought to him as he finished the previous one. When Kaoru didn't interrupt, Kenshin continued in that same soft, emotionless voice. "I was young when the abuse began. Hiko had just left, so he couldn't protect me. My sisters were amongst otherfoster familes, so they couldn't stop any of it.I can't remember how old I was when the sexual abuses began, but I was fourteen when I was finally placed with a family that didn't have any of those things going on within them. The Yukishiros were kind and welcomed me with open arms. They were the ones who let me change my name to Himura Kenshin instead of Seijuro Shinta."

A bittersweet smile crossed his face. "While I was with them, I fell in love with their daughter, Tomoe. She was sixteen at the time. Her younger brother, Enishi, couldn't stand it. I was fifteen when she died, so she was seventeen." At Kaoru's shocked look, he explained."She had terminal cancer. Enishi blamed me for her death, and clung to that through everything his parents tried to tell him. His hair turned white in his grief. I ran away soon after she died. I learned later that Enishi's parents had died in a car crash and he was taken in by a wealthy aunt and uncle…"

Kenshin's voice trailed off as he finished the sake in his hand and ordered yet another bottle. "I was on the streets for a month, and nearly starved to death. That was when I was found by SetaSoujiro. He explained that there were men and women who loved young boys and would pay to be with one at night. As long as you didn't tell the police they would give you a huge chunk of money. Of course, there was always the chance that you could be caught by night patrols." He chuckled wryly. "I think I was arrested a few times before both Soujiro and I learned how not to get caught. But with no other choice, there really wasn't anywhere we could go.

"It was always hard — clients could become too rough, or forget the safety-word." At her confused look, he explained. "When the client wants to give someone pain, the one receiving pain has a word that keeps them from going too far. Sometimes they would take you right in the alley without payment and leave you there naked." Tears came unbidden to his eyes as his mind flew through the memories and his next words were almost inaudible. "We could report it, but who would believe that a whore was raped?"

His cheeks reddened more than they had with the sake. "There were even times when we would steal to supplement our income.

"That was why I had broken into the dojo." The stripper smiled ruefully. "We didn't have enough money to pay for the rent and we were already behind. We hadn't had enough money for food or hot water. But, that night, when you showed me such kindness, I thought that I could change my life."

Kenshin smiled suddenly — small, but definitely there. "The bouncer that you sent to find me, Kamatari, had seen me on the street one night and given me information about Guilty Pleasures, saying that I had a great physique, and that I could make a lot more money without having to cater myself to men and women. When I got home after that night, I called the owner, Tokio-dono, and she gave me the job immediately."

Kaoru watched as he hung his head again, cheeks flaming nearly as dark as his hair with the sake he had consumed. "But after I got the job, Soujiro kicked me out of our apartment. Sano gave me a place to stay until I found a place of my own." He chuckled, laying his head on the table and looking at her with a drunken grin. She blushed. With his head on his crossed arms with his blood-colored hair spread like a dream around his face, violet, gold-rimmed eyes and the faint remnants of eyeliner around those eyes, he looked winsome, with a small smile that hinted to things better left in private. "I just hope he thinks I didn't get killed. I told him before he left to go give your friend a lap dance that I would probably quickly get something to eat and meet him at home."

Those unique eyes started to drop — he had probably had too much to drink and the alcohol was starting to take affect. It was with a jolt that she realized that she had no idea where he lived, and there was no way he was going to be able to get home like this — she didn't even know if he had a car. The way he described things, he probably didn't.

Almost hesitantly, Kaoru reached over and nudged him gently on the shoulder, calling softly.

"Kenshin — where does Sano live?"

She listened closely as he mumbled an address. She frowned as she realized that she had no idea where that was. Kaoru was interrupted from her thought of figuring out how to get him home when the waitress spoke softly to her.

"Ma'am, I'm here to collect the money."

She frowned, looking around for her wallet until she realized that beneath his hand, Kenshin had already gotten the money out — in exact change, nonetheless.

With a slight smile she reached out and took the money, handing it to the waitress. The young woman smiled and accepted it.

"Thank you and please, come again."

Kaoru smiled back at her, then looked at the sleeping stripper in front of her. Now that she knew where he was staying, she only had to figure out how to get there. With a soft sigh, she stood and quiet put his coat back on him. She silently placed one arm around his waist and laid his arm across her shoulders. As she was lifting him, a small cell phone fell out of his pocket. His head resting against her shoulder, she reached down and picked it up, placing it in her pocket.

Thanking Kami-sama that he was light and she was stronger than she looked from continuous training, she carried him like this out to her car. Sighing, she set him carefully in the passenger seat and buckled the seatbelt around him. Closing the door she walked around and got in the car, starting it with a turn of the keys.

Cursing the fact that she knew where Kenshin lived but she didn't know how to get there, Kaoru set her forehead on the steering wheel. Then, with a sudden thought, she took his cell phone out of her pocket and looked through his contacts. A brilliant smile lit her face as she dialed Sano's number, hoping that maybe he was still awake and could tell her how to get to his apartment. She mentally cheered as a deep, obviously masculine voice answered the phone.

"Yo, Ken, whuddya want?"

"No, this is Kamiya Kaoru."

Sanosuke's scrunched up in confusion as he listened to the voice on the other line. "And who the hell are you?" His eyes widened slightly. "Where's Kenshin?"

She laughed softly. "He's passed out next to me in my car. We went out to the Akabeko after he got done with work and while we were talking he drank a little too much sake, and well, you get the idea."

Sano chewed a little on the fish bone in his mouth. "Lemme guess, you need directions to get to my house so you called me?"

Kaoru sighed. "Yea, his cell phone fell out of his pocket so I used it to get your number, since he said that he was staying with you."

Sano laughed as he listened to her. In the month that he had known him, Kenshin had never once touched alcohol of any kind. "Well, get a pen Jou-chan, cuz you're gunna need them." With that he gave her directions from the Akabeko – he was a frequent customer there so it wasn't like he didn't know. Afterwards she thanked him.

Then, before hanging up, she mentally slapped her forehead. "And would you mind looking out for us? I barely managed to get him out to my car and I don't think I'll be able to get him inside by myself."

At her question, Sano chuckled. "Of course, Jou-chan. He grinned and walked out onto the balcony. "Kitsune just left, so I'll just sit out here and wait."

"Thank you Sano." Kaoru smiled and hung up the phone, carefully putting it back in Kenshin's pocket. Allowing his head to rest on her shoulder, she put the car in drive and followed Sanosuke's directions.

§

Kaoru parked her car in front of a large apartment complex in the moderate-income neighborhood. It bordered on a Shinto shrine and there was hot springs just on the other side of the building – no doubt for the inhabitants to use. Knowing Sanosuke's profession, she was surprised by the accommodations—she hadn't known that they were paid this much.

§

Sagara Sanosuke watched as the women got out of the silver car. She was wearing a black mini-skirt and dark blue tank top with a waist length leather jacket. Her dark hair was pulled in a high ponytail and there was a determined look on her face as she carefully took an unconscious Himura Kenshin out of her car.

A smirk on his face he walked down the stairs and went down to her car. He grinned at her as he lifted Kenshin easily into his arms.

"Come on up, I'll fix you a cup of coffee." With a soft sigh Kaoru followed him into the building and up the stairs to the decent-sized apartment. At his direction, she walked into the kitchen as he went to place Kenshin on his futon and set out aspirin for him.

When he walked into the kitchen, he noticed that Kaoru was looking at the artwork left by his daughter. She smiled at him. "I didn't know that you had a daughter. Is she still here?"

He shook his head as he poured coffee into two mugs. Kaoru accepted hers with murmured thanks. "No, she's spending the night with my mom since she doesn't have school tomorrow." He took a sip of the coffee and leaned against the cupboards, sizing the young woman up.

"So, Jou-chan, would you care to explain to me why Kenshin — whom I've never seen touch a drop of alcohol — is sleeping away and going to awaken with a mighty powerful hangover tomorrow?"

Kaoru sighed, taking a large gulp of her coffee. "Has he told you anything about his circumstances and how he came here?" She asked him quietly, concentrating on her coffee mug—a pale pink with the name Ayame stenciled with dark pink along the side.

It was Sano's turn to sigh. "Only that he was a street whore looking for a better life." He took a sip of his coffee. "He didn't seem to want to talk about it anymore so I left it well enough alone. He never asked about my history any more than was necessary — especially with Ayame needing to be watched by the owner's daughter every other night." He sighed again. "But it looked like it was something that he needed to talk to someone about, but really didn't want to, since it seemed painful."

Kaoru looked at the young stripper. "Well," she said softly, "he told me everything."

She watched in surprise as Sano spit up the coffee he had been about to swallow. "What!" He picked up a towel and started wiping off the front of his button-down shirt. "He told _you_ everything?" A look of pure shock lit across his face. "I didn't think that he would tell anyone, especially someone he only _just _met."

A hint of pink lit across her cheeks. "Actually, we met a month ago."

She didn't think that Sanosuke's face could possibly manage to look anymore shocked than it already had — but he managed before looking suspicious. "And just how did you manage to meet him a month ago when he was still on the streets?"

Kaoru refused to meet his eyes. "He broke into the dojo that I run, looking for money, but I found him eating out of my refrigerator. I asked him to spend the night and help himself to something to eat. He said that that one moment changed his life forever and that was why he went out and got the job at Guilty Pleasures."

Sano looked surprised at the revelation and looked into his coffee mug. "Is there anything else about it that you're goin' to tell me?"

Kaoru shook her head. "I think that that is up to him. For some reason, I think he told me because it sounded like he needed to get it off his chest." She smiled at the stripped. "But, I think if you're genuinely worried about him, he'll tell you when and if you ask. All I'm going to say is that he's been through hell and needs someone or something to get him onto his feet and into something that resembles a normal life." She laughed as she drank the last of her coffee. "In fact, I think I'll keep in contact because I want to help him. Tomorrow would you mind telling him that I could help him look for a new apartment?"

Surprised, and still overcoming the earlier shock, he nodded. "Sure thing Jou-chan. I think he needs someone like you. You're better than some guy he works with, and you don't seem like other people by judging him by his past occupation." He grinned as he led her to the door. "And Don't worry, I'll tell him about the apartment hunt as soon as he's human."

Kaoru laughed. "Thank you Sano, and thanks for the coffee. Sayonara!"

With that, she left the apartment, climbing into her car and driving back to the empty dojo with her thoughts occupied by a gorgeous, drunk, red-head.

**A/N3  
**Hello people! **I was shocked when I saw that I have almost 1000 hits and 18 reviews! I LOVE YOU ALL! THANK YOU!** HERE'S A HUGE THANK YOU FOR ALL THOSE WHO VOTED!  
So far, the results are:  
SONG:  
More ATC  
'Catch me riding dirty…'  
'I'm to sexy for my…'  
(my suggestion -- 'Miss Murder' by AFI  
and 'Willkommen im Nichts' by Eisbrecher)  
OUTFIT:  
Leather pants, trench coat, and fishnet shirt  
But those are the only votes I have received, and I would LOVE some more input, since he's stripping in the next chapter! So WHEN YOU REVIEW, PLEASE ANSWER THIS QUESTION!

**What song should Kenshin strip to and what outfit should he strip out of?**

THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS!  
PLEASE REVIEW AND VOTE!

_**--Mistress-Neko  
**_


	4. Invitations

**Disclaimer  
**Sorry, the only thing that I own is the clothing that Kenshin is wearing in the set on stage. Grin. And I am writing this out of my head and am definitely not making any money off of it, so if you want to get a Minnesota quarter, a plastic alien, and a machine-washed Legolas trading card, you can go ahead.

**A/N  
**The song is "I'm to Sexy for My Shirt," by Right Said Fred

**Chapter Three – Invitations**

_A little boy was laughing as he was running through well-tended fields of grass, his face bright with joy as he ran._

_His long red hair flew out behind him, violet-amber eyes dancing as the wind blew gently and he was left without a care in the world. He called out behind him as his face illuminated into a brilliant smile, his miniature white hakama and dark blue kimono billowing around his skinny frame._

"_Come on Jijii (grandfather)!!! Let's find Hiko-onii-san (big brother Hiko)! I want him to teach me more swords!!"_

_The old man laughed at the young child's antics. His white hair was worn long, just like both of his grandsons. He was eternally glad that he was able to keep all the children here for the summer. He knew that his unstable son had been using his daughters to earn an income, and as soon as he was old enough, he would be using the little boy as well. The eldest, Hiko, was kept safely at the ancient dojo under the guise of being the next to pass on the Hiten-Mitsurugi-Ryu of swords._

_His granddaughters were currently collecting flowers, sticking close to each other and laughing as they watched their youngest brother. The laughter never reached their eyes. All of them wore traditional kimonos of bright colors and beautiful designs, but their young faces were worn and their dark eyes were jaded._

"_Jijii!!" Contagious laughter filled the old man's head as he continued walking calmly across the field; the little boy was looking impatient and indignant. "Come on Jijii! Hiko-onii-san is waiting for us at the dojo!"_

_The pounding of drums made the little boy frown, bright eyes looking around for where they were coming from._

_It just kept pounding as the world and his grandfather began to fade…_

As the happy memory began to slip away, Kenshin could feel that there was a soft pounding, just on the edge of his consciousness, faint but still there. He slowly felt the blank world of dreams slipping away.

And the pounding was steadily getting harder.

Kenshin's eyes opened slowly, closing instantly at the bright light from the window, as he turned onto his side and pulled the blanket more tightly around his shivering body, trying to ignore the migraine and the flicker of nausea in his stomach. Sleep was once again beginning to claim him.

That was, until the little flicker became a full blown surge of partially digested food up his esophagus and into his mouth.

Eyes wide, Kenshin dashed into the toilet, managing to get his mouth over the porcelain bowl before everything he had eaten the night previous expelled itself from his stomach. He choked and gagged, clinging to the edges of the toilet as he threw up and dry-heaved violently.

After what seemed like hours, he stopped dry-heaving and leaned heavily against the toilet, reaching over weakly and flushing its contents away. He noticed with eyes bleary from the raging headache that he was still wearing the clothes from the night before – and they were currently flecked with bits and pieces of his most recent meal. Groaning softly, he picked up a wash clothe and wet it with cool water, using it to wipe his face and mouth, trying to get the taste out of it.

The chink of plastic and glass on metal startled him into looking at the source of the sound. There was a small bottle of aspirin and a glass of water sitting on the sink.

Sano grinned down on him.

"You'll definitely want some of these Kenshin." His grin widened. "These little aspirin work wonders with nausea and headaches from a hangover."

Kenshin groaned and covered his eyes, shielding them from the light. "Sano, how did I get home?" His voice was grainy and hoarse as he spoke. "The last think I remember is talking to Kaoru-dono at the Akabeko."

If it was at all possible, that grin widened. "Jou-chan brought you back here after you passed out at the table you two were eating at after you drank all the sake."

His head jerked up and he looked like he was going to be sick. "I… what?" His shoulders slumped and he groaned, swallowing the four little pills with the glass of water. Kenshin slumped with his head on his arms. "I can't believe I did that. I'm so sorry Kaoru-dono. I can't believe she was left to pick up the mess I made."

Sano rolled her eyes. "Jou-chan didn't seem to mind. She just used your cell phone to call me and find out where my apartment was." He bent down to look in the stripper's face. "I just couldn't imagine that she managed to get you out to her car and almost the entire way into the building by herself."

Kenshin looked at him reproachfully. "I can't believe I did that Sano. I was treating her to dinner after what she did for me last month, then I get drunk and she had to find a way to get me home. She must think the worst of me."

Sano smacked his forehead. "Well, worrying about it isn't going to do you any good right now." He grabbed Kenshin's arm and lifted him protesting from the floor. "Now go get clean clothes on and meet me in the kitchen. You'll need something more to drink and something to eat. Tokio-san is on a mission to have you fill out more—meaning you are going to eat something—and she wants you to run with me. So make sure you can run in these clothes."

Kenshin scowled at him, but moved into his room. Sano grinned as he walked out into the kitchen. Tokio had indeed told him quite forcefully that she didn't want to see Kenshin as skinny as he had been on that first day of stripping, and that she wanted him to get into shape.

As he was finishing making the ramen, Kenshin walked gingerly into the room. His hair was wet where he had washed it and it was tied in a high ponytail. Remnants of eyeliner remained around his eyes. He wore a tight black muscle shirt that contrasted with his pale skin sharply and left the tattoo on the base of his neck exposed. The long sweatpants were sleek and black with crimson stripes running down the sides. His running shoes were black and crimson. Sano snorted at his choice of colors—they seemed to be the only ones that he wore outside of work, but then, he hadn't seen all of them.

Kenshin frowned down at the bottle of neon green energy drink sitting on the table at the place where he usually knelt for meals. Sano grinned and placed a bowl of creamy chicken ramen in front of him with a set of chopsticks. He wore long white shorts with no shirt and a red strip of cloth through his dark spikes. His jogging shoes were white and well-worn.

"Drink it; it'll hydrate you faster than water will. And eat up." He smiled. Kenshin looked like he was going to be sick as he looked at the food in front of him. "And yes, you'd better eat it or I might call up Jou-chan and tell her something unpleasant about you, or maybe Tokio-san?"

The ex-fight merchant grinned as his friend quickly began eating the food in front of him. He began shoveling his own into his mouth. After a few minutes, he sat back and looked at the ex-prostitute closely.

"Now, Kenshin, Jou-chan said that you were talking about things last night." His face was serious as he watched Kenshin pause, watching him closely with those violet eyes ringed in that strange shade of amber. "She mentioned that you told her about your past in the whole."

"What did she tell you?" He seemed worried. There was a subtle layer of fear behind those carefully guarded eyes.

Sanosuke sighed. "All she said was that you had told her, and that if I wanted to know, then I had to ask you," He took a sip of his milk, muttering, "wish she had though."

Kenshin looked at Sano oddly. He swallowed before setting down the half-empty bottle of neon sports drink. "Sano," he said softly, "if you want to know, then I'll tell you."

Sanosuke looked very closely into the violet-amber eyes of his fellow stripper. He could see things in those eyes that he could not explain, and he had seen Kenshin looking off into space for no apparent reason often—he wanted to know. He nodded.

With another sip of the lime drink, Kenshin launched into nearly the same story he had told Kaoru.

§

Kaoru looked up at the stage from the doorway of the strip club. She had hoped that she would just be in and out, but Kamatari, who was manning the doors, had insisted that she watch Kenshin during his first set of the night, since it was something that Tokio had had him working on for a while, and it was quite different from what she had seen the night previous.

_She stood in line, nervous. She had discovered earlier that day that there was an extra bedroom at the dojo. A smile had lit her face as she thought of Kenshin staying there—it would be easier on Sano, and he could help her around the dojo with chores, cleaning, and the basics of kendo._

_There where a couple dozen women also waiting in line at Guilty Pleasures, all of them chattering to each other about the acts that were going on tonight._

_As Kaoru unconsciously eavesdropped on the conversations, she found that the strip club had a website, and each of the strippers had their own fan club where their fans would see schedules of when they were going to perform and would get updates. She frowned slightly as she listened to how the newest stripper, Yuukyou Kurai (Pleasures, Dark) (a/n its surname, first name, so really, it would be Kurai Yuukyou), had one of the biggest fan clubs._

_As they talked about the act he did the night before, she realized that they were talking about Kenshin. Kaoru thought that it was interesting that he had chosen such a name to strip under._

"_ID please." Kamatari smiled that strange little smile at Kaoru as he stood in the doorway. "Are you here to see Kurai-kun again?"_

_Kaoru grinned slightly. "I was just wondering if you could give him this for me."_

_Kamatari took the little slip of paper. He smiled. "I will if you stay and watch his first set." The smile widened. "I can guarantee that you'll enjoy it."_

So here she was at the far back wall of the club close to the exit.

As she watched, the curtain began to rise and the music began to play loudly. Her eyes widened slightly as she watched Kenshin strutting across the stage, a black cowboy on his head, black fishnet shirt that revealed more than it covered, slightly loose leather pants, and long black trench coat. Those unique eyes were carefully lined, some of his loose hair caught in a thick black collar around his neck. Fingerless black leather gloves completed the dark look.

_I'm too sexy for my love too sexy for my love  
__Love's going to leave me_

He spun with one hand on his head and that other sweeping outwards. With the eyeliner, she noticed the amber in his eyes coming sharply to life. He was grinning and mouthing the words.

The women screamed as he balled his fists into the fabric of the flimsy shirt and pulled.

_I'm too sexy for my shirt too sexy for my shirt  
__So sexy it hurts  
I'm too sexy for Milan too sexy for Milan  
__New York and Japan_

The remnants of the shirt were thrown behind him on the stage. He grinned sexily.

Women screamed.

Money hit the stage.

His hips swayed back and forth hands moving across the slender bones as he strutted towards the pole at the front of the projecting stage.

_And I'm too sexy for your party  
Too sexy for your party  
__No way I'm disco dancing_

Kenshin grinned as he stopped at the edge of the stage, spinning and making the trench coat fly out around him. The closest woman gasped as he came off the stage and straddled her lap, moving erotically against her.

_I'm a model you know what I mean  
__And I do my little turned on the catwalk  
Yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk yeah  
__I do my little turn on the catwalk_

It looked like he had left the woman utterly breathless as he flipped backwards and landed on the stage in a crouch. He grinned at the audience. Kaoru watched, stunned, at the graceful ease at which the trench coat came off and flew across the stage.

_I'm too sexy for my car to sexy for my car  
__Too sexy by far  
I'm too sexy for my hat  
__Too sexy for my hat what do you think about that_

His took the hat off, the long strands of his hair flowed like a crimson waterfall down his back. Locks were braided and beaded with small, bright silver beads that flashed as he spun and his hair flew out around him.

He crawled across the stage with those strange eyes looking animalistic through those strands of crimson red.

_I'm a model you know what I mean  
__And I do my little turn on the catwalk  
Yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk yeah  
__I shake my little touche on the catwalk_

Women screamed as the leather pants ripped away to reveal skin tight leather chaps that did nothing to cover his g-string or his perfectly sculpted ass.

Money flowed from their hands as he curved his body erotically around the pole body swaying and twisting in ways that seemed almost impossible for any normal person.

The sheen of sweat on his skin glittered in the light, eccentuating the curve of his smooth muscles, the flat terrains of his abs, the thin line of red hair leading down into the flimsy g-string.

_I'm too sexy for my too sexy for my too sexy for my_

He turned with his back facing away from the stage, his hair pulled over one shoulder as he started moving those sexy hips. Kaoru watched in amazement as he started to bend backwards, hair tumbling over his shoulder as he threw his head back in the direction of the audience with his eyes closed.

If one looked closely enough, you could almost see down into the g-string.

The women of the crowd were going wild.

'_Cos I'm a model you know what I mean  
__And I do my little turn on the catwalk  
Yeah on the catwalk on that catwalk yeah  
__I shake my little touche on the catwalk_

His hands met the floor and he flipped himself over, legs wrapping securely around the pole in a way that would allow him to pull his body up to face the women.

Kaoru just stood there with her head shaking slowly. She had never seen anyone so damn flexible.

Still wearing that grin on his face, he slid down the length of metal, continuing his sexual dance on the stage.

Kaoru couldn't remember the last time she had seen that much yen in one place.

_I'm too sexy for my cat too sexy for my cat  
__Poor pussy poor pussy cat  
I'm too sexy for my love to sexy for my love  
__Love's going to leave me_

_I'm too sexy for this song_

It ended with Kenshin standing with his arms above him around the pole, hips thrust out to the side with a slight grin on his face and amber eyes—the violet was hardly noticeable with the wondrously done makeup job—burning in his face.

If she hadn't been looking, Kaoru wouldn't have noticed the slight widening of his eyes.

He had seen her.

She grinned sheepishly and waved before exiting slowly, listening to Tokio's voice as the owner brought forth another round of applause and introduced the next stripper.

§

Kenshin looked down at the little slip of paper in his hand as he dialed the number from it and onto his cell phone. He had just finished his last set, and Kamatari had brought him this little slip from Kaoru saying that she wanted to be called as soon as he was done for the night. He had already changed, wearing slightly loose, slightly belled, leather pants and a long-sleeved, button-down black shirt with a long black jacket and a very long crimson scarf that wrapped once around his neck before falling to the ground.

After a few rings, she answered the phone.

"Kamiya Kaoru speaking." He swallowed thickly.

"H-hello, Kaoru-dono." He smiled sheepishly. "You wanted me to call you? I just finished my set and Kamatari came and gave me the note."

Soft laughter was heard on the other line. "Yes, I'm glad he gave it to you. There was something that I wanted to talk to you about tonight."

Kenshin felt his stomach plummet as he remembered what Sano had told him about the night before. "What do you want to talk to me about, Kaoru-dono?"

Kaoru grinned into her cell phone. She had talked to Sano earlier that night when he was home—she had wanted to make sure that he knew about what she was doing before she asked Kenshin. Sano had given her his full approval.

"It's nothing you need to worry about Kenshin," she suddenly giggled, "or should I say, Kurai?"

Kenshin felt himself blush and he stuttered. "Where did you find out about that? The only people that know are the people that are the guests."

Kaoru laughed softly. "I overheard someone referring to your act last night, and that name was connected to it, so I made an educated guess. So, have you had dinner yet? I was wondering if you could come over here and we could discuss it."

Kenshin breathed a sigh of relief. "Not since Sano fed me ramen after I woke up this morning."

"Do you want to pick something up on the way or do you want me to order something? We can split the bill either way."

"I'll pick something up at a convenience store. What kind of bento do you like?"

She smiled. "Just pick me up whatever you're having."

"Alright. I'll be there in twenty minutes at the most."

"Okay Kenshin. Ja-ne (goodbye)."

"Ja-ne."

§

Fifteen minutes later, Kaoru looked out the window of the dojo and smiled. Standing at the gate was Kenshin, carrying a plastic bag containing two bento boxes and a few containers of juice. She smiled at him. His long hair blew forcefully in the wind, unrestrained in the dark night under the streetlights. Wrapping a sweatshirt around her shoulders, she walked out and opened the gate.

He smiled slightly. She was wearing a dark blue kimono with a silver pattern of dragons flowing across it. An obi of dark gold and tiny flames of red sewn into it accompanied the traditional look. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail with soft bangs framing her face. Her bright blue eyes were smiling.

"Hello Kaoru-dono."

She noticed that he had managed to remove all traces of the stage makeup—this was probably the first time she had seen him without anything lining his eyes to make them stand out more in his face.

But that hadn't changed anything.

Those gem-colored eyes were still startling against that pale, almost white skin and crimson red hair. She smiled back at him.

"Hello Kenshin." She gestured towards the house separate from the dojo. "Come on in, it's freezing out tonight."

"Thank you Kaoru-dono." He held up the bag in his hands. "I got us some bento. It's mostly sushi so I hope you don't mind."

She shook her head. "No I don't, in fact, it sounds really good right now." She hung up his coat and they both removed their shoes as they entered the main hall and then led him to the dining room. While she went to get chopsticks, he set the food on the table with the juice drinks. Both of them were orange. Both of them sat down at their respective seats.

"Itadakimasu." Kenshin bowed his head slightly before speaking the meal thanks.

They ate in near silence, until Kaoru set down the bite of food she was about to put in her mouth.

"Kenshin, how do you like living with Ayame-chan and Sanosuke?" Her voice was soft and she watched him closely, looking for any kind of reaction. He paused.

"It's fine, I just feeling guilty sometimes because in order to make room, Ayame-chan had to give up her room so that I could sleep in it -- she stays in Sano's room." He blushed as he looked at her. "If I could move out, I would, but it's hard to find an apartment where the people will let me live after they find out what I do for a living." He stopped and looked at her curiously. "Why do you want to know Kaoru-dono?"

She smiled as she leaned forward and rested on her elbows. "There's an extra room here at the dojo and there is no one in it. I was wondering if you would want to move in there."

The morsel of food in Kenshin's chopsticks dropped back into his bento box.

**A/N  
**Hey there. Sorry I haven't updated in such a long time, but the summer was suddenly taken over with work and summer reading and I just couldn't find the time. Then school started, and with college applications that I am still working on, not to mention playing hockey six days a week and trying to get through seven honors classes, a JROTC class where I have to organize everything b/c the Battalion Commander can't do shit, it's been really hard to get through everything. And let's not forget, the other laptop we had was an asshole and decided to shut down, leaving my dad unable to retrieve anything off of it. So everything I had — including the full story outline — was completely lost. I've pretty much had to start from scratch and the plotline has shot off in an utterly different direction. Not to mention, I am also co-authoring a series of novels with a friend of mine, and we are typing everything and getting things in order to send to potential publishers. Believe me, I am the editor for the most part, and it's harder than hell to get through the three full notebooks. I am really sorry for all of this, but I am going to continue this story as often as I can. Please read and review and I have a few questions to ask:

What do you think of Kenshin's personality and look so far? Is he too pathetic?

What about his sets? I think that the last one was really whacked, headed in too many different directions.

Does anyone want to beta read for me? So far I have one really good one, but I would like few more! Please leave me your hotmail address so I can IM the files, or an email address so I can send you the chapters to be edited within a review. Thank you!!

And please review! They help loads!

_--MistressNeko_


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